# Microsoft Excel vs Office Word

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Microsoft Excel at 1.5M against Office Word's 13. Microsoft Excel also leads on review sentiment (24% vs 0%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Office Word's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft Excel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Office Word sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Microsoft Excel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Excel has 1.5M ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Microsoft Excel's written reviews are positive against 0% of Office Word's.

Microsoft Excel ships an update weekly, Office Word monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft Excel | Office Word |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-excel/id586683407/reviews)** | [4.4 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/office-word-edit-word-docs/id6478091353/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5M** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | **24.4% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#20** | — |
| Size | 436 MB | 297 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [CODE HARMONY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1731762433) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft Excel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-excel/id586683407)

**Currently charting:** #20 Top Free · Productivity, #34 Top Grossing · Productivity, #197 Top Free (US App Store)

This powerful productivity app allows you to create, view, and edit spreadsheets on the go. Manage data, perform calculations, and analyze information with robust formatting and charting tools. Share your work easily with others.

**Highlights:** Create, view, and edit spreadsheets, Data analysis with charts and graphs, Budgeting and accounting tools, Customizable tables and formatting, Share files with collaborators, Draw and annotate with ink

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Office 365 Personal | $5.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $6.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal Student | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Home | $12.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Microsoft Copilot Pro | $20.00 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $69.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $99.99 | per year |
| Office 365 Home | $129.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $129.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Powerful and feature-rich
- 🔍 Useful for data management and analysis
- 🔧 Convenient for on-the-go work
- 🤝 Good integration with Microsoft ecosystem
- 🤩 Excellent for personal and professional use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription required for full functionality
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 📱 Limited features compared to desktop version
- 🤔 Confusing user interface changes
- 🤯 Frustrating syncing and file management issues

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to open or edit files
- Unexpected app closures
- Syncing problems with OneDrive
- Formatting issues when copying and pasting
- Slow performance on high-end devices

**Requested features**

- Conditional formatting options
- Ability to open password-protected files
- Improved Apple Pencil and keyboard support
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Better compatibility with Dropbox and other cloud storage


### Office Word

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/office-word-edit-word-docs/id6478091353)

This app provides an all-in-one solution for managing and creating various document types, including word documents and spreadsheets. It offers seamless file access, editing tools, AI-powered spreadsheet generation, and template options for efficient workflow.

**Highlights:** All-in-one document management, Edit and format Word documents (DOC, DOCX), Create and edit spreadsheets (XLS, XLSX), AI-powered spreadsheet generation, Template library for documents and spreadsheets, Seamless file import from various sources

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sheet AI Premium 1 - week | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Word Editor Premium 1 - week | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Sheet AI Premium 1 - month | $12.99 | per month |
| Sheet AI Premium 1 - year | $39.99 | per year |
| Sheet AI Premium 1 - year | $39.99 | per year |
| Sheet AI Premium lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft Excel free?

Microsoft Excel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Office Word free?

Office Word is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft Excel or Office Word?

Microsoft Excel is rated higher. Microsoft Excel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5M ratings, while Office Word averages 4.4 from 13 ratings.

### Do Microsoft Excel or Office Word have ads?

Neither Microsoft Excel nor Office Word shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft Excel or Office Word?

Microsoft Excel ships an update weekly, and Office Word monthly. Most recently, Microsoft Excel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Office Word on September 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*